


What He Left

by MsCal90



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-02-18 03:18:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13091319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsCal90/pseuds/MsCal90
Summary: When the Great Lion of Lannister dies, he leaves behind more than a few surprises for his family.





	1. One

Cersei looked around the room, taking stock of the amount of people in attendance. It was every inch the funeral reception that her farther deserved. The hall was filled with men in suits- mostly business partners- with their respectful and dutiful wives hanging on their arms. Very few things grated on her nerves as much as those boring women she had to play nice with. Well, as nice as she could, anyway. Thinly veiled threats and insults that went right over their empty heads when said in a syrupy sweet voice. The only person that she could stand the company of was sitting at a table with Sansa Stark, That insipid girl had been sniffling and quietly crying since the funeral had started at the church. She always had been a weak and emotional girl. Cersei had no idea how she had gotten on the guest list. Both the funeral and the following reception had to be private in order to ensure that none of the many people Tywin had crossed in his life didn’t make a scene.   
She mused over how she would deal with these people in the future. As the two eldest children, Tywin had surely left Lannister Inc. to either Jaime or herself, and leaving it to him would be just the same as leaving it to her. He had always been such a pushover when it came to her. Ever since they were children, he had done anything that she asked. Looking for him again, she saw that he was still talking to that Stark girl, and that Tyrion had joined them. Leave it to her brothers to try and help a damsel in distress. Jaime because of his soft heart- “More of a woman’s heart than mine.” She thought. “Yet another reason why father most likely left everything to me.” and Tyrion was most likely trying to take advantage of the girl. Soft, weak, and always following where their cocks pointed. Men needed so much guidance. She would be the one to do it once she was sitting behind her father’s giant mahogany desk.   
She noticed the lawyer talking to Jaime, and saw the two of them go into a small conference room that sat off of the large reception hall. Glimpsing small stacks of paperwork, she smiled . “It’s about time we got down to business. I wonder what father saw fit to leave to him. One of the smaller houses, probably.” Jaime had been declared sterile at the young age of twenty, destroying their father’s hopes of him creating the heirs to the Lannister name. Surely he wouldn’t have left him anything other than the beach house in Dorne that he was so in love with. Twenty minutes later, Jamie strode out of the conference room with a dazed expression on his face. “Being the oldest doesn’t mean much when you can’s add to the legacy.” Cersei mused. The fact that she had produced three children more than likely placed her yet another rung above her brothers on the ladder that was Tywin’s judgment. She saw that he had made his way back to the table that Sansa and Tyrion were still sitting at.   
“Have they been talking the whole time? What on Earth do they have to talk about?” She was sure that they had only met each other at a few events when Sansa had still been dating Joffrey, only making the necessary small talk as far as she knew. Leaning toward their younger brother, Jamie said something and Tyrion got up and walked to lawyers makeshift office. “Ha!” She smirked at the thought of what Tyrion was about to hear. Something small and humiliating in some way. There was nothing that Tywin had ever regretted, except the birth of his youngest son. A dwarf had never before been born in the proud Lannister family, and the fact that he had an imperfect child along with the death of his wife afterward had led to a lifetime of disappointment and eventual hatred for the son that refused to stay quietly out of sight. No, Tyrion’s personality was bigger than life, and his smugness as he walked around in his day-to-day life was infuriating to both her father and herself. She would make sure to push him further out of the family for good. Getting caught up in small talk with a group of the insipid wives, she turned off her mind and simply waited until she was called in for the good news.   
Glancing at the clock after what felt like only a few minutes, Cersei noticed that an hour had gone by without her noticing. Looking around, she saw her brothers at opposite sides of the room, each talking to small groups of her father’s associates. She also saw that the door to the conference room was shut. Downing yet another glass of wine, she turned back to the conversation and waited for the lawyer to come and get her.


	2. Two

After making sure Sansa was settled with Tyrion and reassuring her that he would rejoin them as soon as he could, Jaime followed Mr. Jones, his father’s lawyer, into a small conference table off of the crowded reception hall. Once the door closed behind him, he was surrounded by quiet, the door obviously soundproofed. Mr. Jones sat down at the head of the table, gesturing to the seat to his right. Once settled in the chair, Jaime started thinking about what was about to happen. He was about to hear what his father had left to him, which in turn would show him exactly what it was that his father thought of him. There had always been so many conflicting gestures and acts during his life that he had simply given up on trying to figure out how Tywin viewed his eldest son. Always his pride and joy, and yet never anywhere near good enough. So many highs and lows that Jaime had simply given up trying to impress anyone, and simply began to be himself. Though this had created a gap between himself and the Lannister family, he felt proud of himself and happy in his life. It wasn’t until the last year that he had been coming around again on any regular basis. As nervous as he had been, his father actually seemed quite happy and encouraging of both his small business and his girlfriend, Brianne.   
Clearing his throat, Mr. Jones began the business at hand.   
“Now, Jaime, I just want to start with saying again how sorry I am for your loss. I know that your relationship with Tywin had only really just begun to heal. I want you to know that he changed his will as of three months ago, and I believe that the newly found closeness that he had found with you is reflected in this newest draft.”  
Jaime nodded, his throat temporarily closed up. Small flashbacks of the last few months going through his head. Those almost surreal conversations with his father that would last hours, talking about every little thing. It was what he always wanted and sometimes he couldn’t fully believe that he had actually gotten it. He had seen his father in a completely different light, learned things from and about him that surprised him. “I also opened up to him”, he thought. “ I told him all about my stresses with the sword shop, and I told him so many insights into all of my insecurities. Never once did he make fun of me.”  
“Now, I will read out the section of the will that concerns you. ‘ I would like to grant to Jamie Lannister, my eldest son, all of the horses in Casterly Rock’s stables. These horses include those by the names of Golden Hand, Joanna’s Mischief, Pebbles, Grand Lars, Maiden, and Knight’s Dream. He will be responsible for both the horses and the upkeep of the stables themselves, including the choosing of all trainers and stable hands. I wish to also grant him the deed to the beach house in Dorne, 243 Sandy Lane, Sunspear, Dorne being the address. Lastly, I give to him our ancestral sword, Brightroar.’”   
“He…. he left me the Brightroar?”  
“Yes, I remember him being quite adamant about that particular subject, it’s to go to you and then to be passed on to any children that are legally yours.”  
Nodding quickly, Jaime stood up, shook Mr. Jones’ hand, and strode out of the room, not breaking his stride or looking up until he sat once more with Tyrion and Sansa. They were his only touchstones here. He hadn’t wanted Brianne or Jackson to be subjected to his sisters jabs and insults.   
“Jackson. He wants that sword to be passed on the Jackson. He accepted Jackson. He accepted Brianne. He accepted me. He loved me. How could I have missed that? I thought… but I didn’t know for sure. The horses. He knew how much I love horses. How they were my only escape for so much of my childhood. Escape mostly from him, ironically enough. He was so harsh then, pushing me to be better than everyone at everything. He left all of the horses to me, to be under my care. The only part of Casterly Rock I ever really wanted, he gave to me.”  
Shaken beyond speech, Jaime simply made eye contact with Tyrion and nodded his head toward the door he had just gone through. Patting Sansa’s hand and giving her a weak smile, the dwarf of the great Lannister family made his way through the crowd. Shaking hands with Mr. Jones, Tyrion continued on past the door that the lawyer was holding open for him, and slumped into the chair that Jaime had been seated in. The last thing Jamie saw before the door closed was Tyrion brushing his hands through his hair, his biggest tell that he was nervous.


	3. Three

Tyrion Lannister had hated his father for most of his life. The man had never beaten him or abused him in any physical way, but he had scarred his youngest son’s soul. The underhanded barbs, the disappointment in his eyes, the cruelty of his sister that had gone unpunished. It wasn’t that whatever he had accomplished wasn’t good enough for his father. It was that his father never had opened his mind to Tyrion being good at anything, period. No matter how many awards, scholarships, honors, degrees, or successful businesses he had, Tywin Lannister would not tolerate his youngest son. He had been born a dwarf, the first in the entire family, and his mother had died soon after his birth. Two things that his father held against him for most of his life.   
It was only a year ago, however, that everything changed. The great Lion of Lannister, Tywin himself, had called his home. Tyrion didn’t know that his father had ever even had his number. He had picked up the phone absentmindedly, almost dropping it when he heard his fathers commanding voice in his ear. “There must be an emergency. There is no other explanation.” Was all that he could think. But, no. There was no emergency. His father had called him to invite him to dinner.   
That dinner had led to another, and another. Eventually, Tyrion had brought along his girlfriend Shae. Tywin hadn’t said a single disrespectful word, and welcomed her with open arms. After that, Tyrion’s relationship with Tywin had completely changed. They talked about business, they talked about everything. The two of them went for walks around Casterly’s grounds, and it seemed as though Tywin always found a bench to take a rest on the moment Tyrion’s legs needed a break. When he and Shae had announced the pregnancy, not a word was said about the lack of a ring on her finger. Instead, his father had raised a toast to the next generation, doing so again when they had announced that it was a girl months later. He had taken that ultrasound picture and had had it framed and put on his office desk. That giant, imposing desk that his father had conducted business behind from years had a sonogram of his unborn daughter sitting on it in a place of honor. The only picture on the surface. It was boggled his mind at the same time as his heart swelled with pride. It turned out that his father’s opinion mattered to him after all, no matter what he had thought over the years.   
Pulling himself back into the present, Tyrion looked up at Mr. Jones.   
“Well, Jonsey-boy, better get on with it.”   
Smiling at the nickname the dwarf had started calling him since he had been a child, the lawyer started.   
“I would like to begin, Tyrion, but offering you my condolences. I know how much closer your father and you had gotten recently. I would like to make it known that your father updated his will all of three months ago. I will now read out the section of the will that concerns you. ‘ I leave to my youngest son, Tyrion Lannister, a 20% share in Lannister Corporations. He will also have a job in the business as well, if he wants, which will be decided between himself and the new owner of the company. Secondly, I leave to him my first edition of “The Dance of Dragons”, something I know that he will treasure. Lastly, I leave to him all of the jewelry that once belonged to my late wife, Joanna Lannister. These pieces are to be passed on to his daughter/s when they come of age.’”  
After a pause, Tyrion reached out, shook the mans hand again, and wordlessly returned to the table where Sansa and Jamie still sat. Seeing that Sansa was still shaking slightly, he squeezed her hand gently. “He’s ready for you, my dear.”


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little chapter. Hoping to put up at least two more before the end of the week!

In the next week, Tywin stuck just as diligently to his schedule as he had the last thirty years of his life. He had decided to let the girl stay at his house, agreeing that it was the best way to keep the story out of that media without involving any more people that could leak it. He had been anticipating some form of disorder, headaches, having to deal with a whiny spoiled child like everyone else her age he had ever come across. Instead, he hadn't laid eyes on her since they had shaken hands and he had one of his maids show her to the guestroom furthest from his own master's chambers. No blaring music, no complaints of being stuck inside his estate, no demands for his company at all; if it hadn't been for the silver tray of food being sent up and down the stairs every mealtime, he could have easily forgotten that he had a house guest at all.  
So it startled him when he walked into his dining room and saw two place settings, with the Stark girl sitting to the right of his own. Wondering what she wanted enough to take her out of her seclusion, he took his seat and waited silently for her to ask something of him.   
Through all three courses, the only sounds made were of the soft clinking of silver and china and soft mummer of "thank you" she gave the servants every time they did anything for her. She didn’t so much as glance in his direction until the final dish had been cleared, her blue eyes looking straight into his green ones with no hesitation or fear. 

 

Sansa counted to ten in her head, hoping to both calm her nerves and make sure that she had Tywin’s attention. She had closed herself into the guest suite that had been provided for her the entire week. Mostly, she slept. She had never felt so exhausted mentally, physically, or emotionally. When she wasn’t sleeping, she was planning. She knew that within an hour of leaving this sanctuary Joffrey or Cersei would know her whereabouts- both her ex and his mother had hired more than enough people to look for her. Could she ask Tywin for the use of his heavily tinted SUV, his driver, his private plane? Where would she go if he said yes that was safe? Nowhere that she could think of. The only place she wanted to go was home, but every way in or out of Winterfell would be being watched. There had been one idea that kept popping up in her head, one idea that would keep her safe, one idea that would seal her fate.   
“I have a proposal to make, Lord Tywin.”


	5. Five

Chapter Five

“You work so hard for your legacy, yet you don’t have a single member of your family that you trust enough to pass it onto. I’ve seen the inner workings of your family, Sir, and I know that you’re disappointed in every one of them. I’ve not been wasting my time here, my future is empty at the moment. Your daughter and Joffrey will do everything that they can to ruin me, maybe even kill me, the moment that I’m no longer hidden away under your roof. There is only one option that makes the most sense, and it stands to benefit the both of us. I have a business degree, but was never given the opportunity to use it. I would like to learn under you. Have you teach me all of the inner workings, let me look behind the scenes. I will gain the experience of learning from the most successful and cunning businessman in anyone’s memory, and you get to train someone to continue on that legacy. We both know that Cersei only cares about money when she spends it, neither of your sons have your trust. I won’t fail you, Tywin. I can’t afford to.”   
He sat back as she did, a sign that she was through with her little speech. The wheels in his head turning, he thought over her plan. It was true that he worried over what would become of his lifetime of work. He worked himself to exhaustion, tirelessly bringing Lannister Corporations up out of the ruin his father had made it into. Making alliances and enemies with the flick of a pen, his signature changing hundreds of lives whenever he signed it. His family understood none of it. Cersei spent her time shopping, spoiling herself and her children to the point that they were all rotten and soft. She always thought of herself as cunning and smart when she was anything but. Jamie shied away from anything to do with numbers, and instead of learning at his father’s side he had opened up that little sword shop. He had taken up with that Tarth woman, too. Jamie couldn’t produce children, true, but there was no way in hell that Tywin would accept that son of hers into his family. Who knows what kind of havoc he could cause when he’s older. Tyrion…. Tyrion had inherited his fathers intellect, but he didn’t use it for anything that wasn’t entirely selfish and small. Small. Intimidation was one of the most powerful tools a business man had, and no dwarf would have the authority he needed in the boardroom.   
But this girl. Sansa. She was from good breeding. She was intelligent, that much was evident within moments of having a true conversation with her. Cunning as well; Cersei and Joffrey loved to speak on how the girl was dim witted and stupid. She must have a talent for acting to make them believe that for so long. She had no way out that was safe. He knew just as well as she did that they would kill her, she was a liability even they understood that they couldn’t afford. Someone to teach, to learn at his side, to form. Someone to pass on his legacy, his one true accomplishment in this world in the ways that he would want them to.   
Seeing that she was still looking at him, waiting for his answer, he gave a slight nod.   
“You will be hidden away, Sansa. The uproar from this is one that I would rather miss.”


End file.
